Rewarders
WHAT IS A REWARDER A rewarder is an individual who reward players for roleplay done. This, sadly, does not mean a rewarder is one who helps people catch up to those who train better than them. It is the most math heavy job out of every admin spot. A rewarder develops mathematical approaches to rewarding other players. They also create their own ethics and strengthen the quality of roleplay by setting down benchmarks. A roleplayer can be rewarded, but not knowing how close they were to obtaining a super customized reward can make them feel as though their best bet at getting the best rewards are where they are at. There are a number of ways that rewarders can go about their jobs, but the most effective methods in rewarding have been laid out clearly across the Sundered Earth forums. EFFECTIVE REWARDERS Effective rewarders are rewarders who reward players everyday, thus creating less to read day by day rather than week by week. It is the biggest mistake found on every Sundered Earth server by inefficient rewarders, especially those who create their own formulas to reward players. This does not mean there is a single set of formulas for every single server to follow. These are simply things that allow coded admins, head admins, and the owners of Sundered Earth to backtrack on why a person was rewarded or ignored a certain way. Rewarders make their own formulas, displaying it in their notes with as much realism as possible. However, this does not mean that the typical "1+2" equations should be used by a rewarder. HOW DO REWARDERS APPROACH MAKING THEIR OWN FORMULAS Formulas are often thought of as complicating sets of numbers, but they are the most efficient and fairest way of going about rewarding somebody. The rewards are completely based off of the gains of a server, so the amount will vary from server to server. A rewarder must learn how to balance this. Every formula depends on the server type, and it is up to the admin to decide how to balance everything. The general rule of thumb when it comes to making formulae is that players must be rewarded based on the quality and quantity of their roleplay emotes.''This is typical of every rewarder, and this is what they have to stretch out for. They should not be rewarded for anything else. They should not be rewarded for their skin colour, their political ideologies, or just because a rewarder feels like they should do something for the hell of it. HOW DO '''REWARDERS APPROACH DIFFICULT DECISIONS' They ideally follow a set of codes that are etched in stone from rewarder to rewarder (given if they're good and have a passion for it). The Principle Principle Principles should be referenced during reward sessions so that codeds may be able to investigate the integrity of rewarders. They also serve as a means of making a rewarder’s life easier when it comes to rewarding decisions. While some principles may in fact be tedious, it is important to be able to backtrack on abusive rewarders. This ensures the most procedural method of rewarding, thus leading to less complaints about biased admins. It also leads to a better chance for players to argue their case. The Default and Custom Reward Principle BP + Energy must always be given as the basic reward. Should you decide to do custom rewards, custom rewards must be added alongside the BP + Energy reward at their calculated amounts. Custom rewards must only be given to those who max out all of the variables in the basic rewards (especially D). Never incorporate base mod or energy mod with any of these calculations; only the stat/intel rewards require mods to be taken into effect. This principle allows those who excel at roleplay actually feel rewarded (thus allowing them to reach passed the benchmark). The Development (D) Principle of RP Frequency Frequency of roleplay may be measured through the amount of emotes done versus the amount of say texts done, but before one assumes those assumptions, one must first deduce whether or not the said person had participated in events or player events. Self roleplay is meaningless unless it directly supplements the RP environment. Devotion to making RP environments or participating in RP environment, whether player made or admin made, must first be sought out for before emotes done versus amount of say texts done can be used. This principle of RP frequency creates an incentive for players to create things rather than hermit away for the sake of their own roleplay. The Consistency Principle One can not be consistent if the difference between an initial log check to the last log check is less than equal to the difference between an initial log check to the last log check before it by many more lines. This, however, is much more difficult to calculate. So it is assumed that the player is consistent if they are able to keep the stated clause up to an extent, as well as remain at or above their D variable. The Positive Reinforcement Theory You must always PM the player if they are rewarded. Do not leave them in the dark. Do not PM the player if they are not rewarded. You may, however, leave the players who did not receive a reward in the dark. When rewarding a player, explain to them how well they did and where they could have improved upon (assuming they got a low or medium score for D). Be extremely nice, but be critical if you have to. As long as players know where they have to improve, it is assumed that they will work toward that goal in hopes of doing better. Make the player feel as though they have room for improvement and are an important asset to the server (THEY ARE). When they know why they had been rewarded in the first place, and when they have figured out how they can get a better reward, then it is assumed that the player will inevitably reach the goal set in place for them. The Consistent Reward Method Principle All formulas that rewarders pitch in are subject to use; however, this does not mean rewarders may reward at the same time with different formulas being used. Formulas are to be consistent from session to server, and are subject to vary overall from wipe to wipe. The theory behind rewarding, however, can not be dismissed, and must remain consistently used. The Recording Principle While it is not ideal to record every single record of every single person of every single reward type and session, it is ideal to allow the game to do the simple things. Methods of keeping records must be consistent and agreed upon at the beginning of the wipe (it is assumed that rewarders on the team have been on the team for quite some time). The characteristics of recording methods must be searchable through a player’s logs. Recording both a serial code and PMing a player who had their logs searched can be easy reference for rewarders to backtrack (or codeds). Serial codes must be displayed clearly in the admin notes somehow, with the date clear and the relative time of start shown (ex. 0000001A = October 1, 2009; 8 AM PST Main Reward Session). Players who get rewarded after the main reward session are assumed to have been part of the reward session earlier on.